Prediction Le Havre vs Lens 2025/2026 season – Betting Tips for the Ligue 1 on 24/08/2025

Match overview and context

A fresh Ligue 1 weekend brings a mouthwatering clash to the Stade Océane as Le Havre welcome Lens on 24/08/2025. The setting is vivid: Le Havre desperate to pick up momentum at home after an opening-day reverse at Monaco, while Lens arrive smarting from a narrow defeat to Olympique Lyonnais. The league table and early-season form paint a clear narrative — Lens are the market favourites, but the script still offers twists. Referee Guillaume Paradis will be in charge, and the seaside stadium can be a lively backdrop for a fixture that has produced goals and drama recently.

Form, recent results and what it means

Le Havre’s start to the campaign has been rocky: one match played, no points, and a 3-1 defeat away to Monaco that exposed defensive vulnerabilities. Their recent run of results before the season suggested inconsistency — flashes of attacking promise but defensive lapses that have cost them. Lens, meanwhile, also lost their opener 1-0 but created more in that game: the underlying numbers from their recent outings show a team generating chances, registering higher shot totals and dominating attacking metrics. Across the two sides’ latest matches, Lens produced more shots (18 to Le Havre’s 9) and far more dangerous attacks, indicating they will arrive with confidence in their ability to probe and press.

Tactical battle and key numbers

Expect Lens to take control of possession and territory. The statistical picture is telling: Lens average significantly more attacks and dangerous situations, with corners and shots inside the box pointing to sustained pressure. Le Havre will need to be compact and clinical on transitions if they are to unsettle Lens. The head-to-head history adds spice — the clubs traded seven goals in their most recent meeting — so there is precedent for an open contest. Yet the opening-day results suggest Le Havre are vulnerable to teams that press and exploit space, and Lens fit that profile.

Prediction and outlook

All signs point to an away victory. Lens created the better openings in their recent fixtures and arrived with an attacking appetite that should test Le Havre’s rearguard. Le Havre can make life difficult at home, but their defensive leakiness and Lens’s superior attacking metrics tip the balance toward an away win. Expect a competitive match with chances at both ends, but a Lens edge when it matters.

Betting suggestion: 1X2 market — Back Lens to win (Away win) at odds around 1.95. This pick aligns with Lens’s attacking superiority, their recent shot and attack figures, and the bookies’ lean toward the visitors.